When we think of what makes effective feedback, we can often concentrate on the methods of feedback, but the EEF Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning guidance report places more weight on focusing on the principles, rather than the methods:
- Laying the foundations
- Giving well-timed and focused feedback
- Planning for pupils receiving and using feedback
For these principles to have any impact, we need to invest in developing subject knowledge.
We might not see instruction as such an important part of feedback, but predictable problems need to be addressed even before we need to give feedback.
We can counter misconceptions, use analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, comparisons, and demonstrations to build a rich conceptual understanding and scaffold learning. The better we get the initial teaching, the more effective our feedback will be.
